New Law Gives Equal Rights to Brazilian Domestic Helpers

Caretakers and maids have long been considered as second class citizens in Brazil, the country which was the last to have slavery abolished. Today, these marginalized citizens have reason to rejoice. The Brazilian Senate has just passed a law providing Brazilian domestic helpers, for the first time, to have the same rights as other workers. The law takes effect on April 2, 2013.

In many Brazilian apartments where they employ domestic helpers, many impose the policy of having separate entrances, using separate elevators and the smallest of rooms that could be squeezed into the design of the apartment for the helper’s use, which oftentimes could be as small as a closet.

Benefits

After its enactment next week, it will give the estimated 7 million domestic helpers in Brazil, most of them women working as cooks and house maids the right to have overtime pay after they have served the full eight hours of work a day for a total of 44 hours each week. This is just one of the benefits stated in the new law. Through several representations by organized groups, they have already gained additional rights prior to the passing of the law, such as maternity leave, sick leave and paid holidays.

For Elianna Menezes who is the head of the Domestic Workers and House Maid’s Union in Sao Paulo, this is like the abolition of slavery, the second time around. For one thing, most maids are working for about 18 hours each day and are subject to the rules established in the homes of their employer.

Repercussions

While there are many benefits for the household helpers, this would also impact on people who cannot live without having the services of a domestic helper. For one, it would increase the cost of having household help from 18% to 40%, subject to the working arrangements they would agree on. This would mean that having a full time maid for some households could be a luxury that would be unaffordable.
Reactions to the news vary. Of course the millions of domestic workers welcome the news. Others, leaving comments in social media sites remark that this means many Brazilian households will have to learn to do without their services, which is what happens in several countries that have experienced an economic surge.

Still others feel that this might give rise to unemployment since their rates might no longer be affordable to some employers.